SKATES - Buying Guide and Advice

Update to my Bauer dilemma. I went to try on the Graf 709's that were recommended and they did not have any in stock. I then tried on the the One.9's and the TotalOne NXG's in D width and both were just so tight in the forefoot and they didnt seem to have the heel lock I remember. The EE in both were ok but had the same feel of my Nexus 600's, and even though I was not busting too much in them it was still noticeable and the heel lock was about the same as the Nexus 600's as well. I then just tried on a pair of Vapor APX's in EE width and they were comfortable in the forefoot and seemed to have decent heel lock. What was a surprise to me was that even the employee at the store said he noticed I was not busting out of them at all. They did not have the APX in the D width but he is ordering them for me and I am going to try both on again once they arrive to see which fits better. Is this normal to fit in a pair of Nexus 600's and the APX's? Does the APX have more depth than the other Vapor skates? Thanks again everybody for their input!

Update to my Bauer dilemma. I went to try on the Graf 709's that were recommended and they did not have any in stock. I then tried on the the One.9's and the TotalOne NXG's in D width and both were just so tight in the forefoot and they didnt seem to have the heel lock I remember. The EE in both were ok but had the same feel of my Nexus 600's, and even though I was not busting too much in them it was still noticeable and the heel lock was about the same as the Nexus 600's as well. I then just tried on a pair of Vapor APX's in EE width and they were comfortable in the forefoot and seemed to have decent heel lock. What was a surprise to me was that even the employee at the store said he noticed I was not busting out of them at all. They did not have the APX in the D width but he is ordering them for me and I am going to try both on again once they arrive to see which fits better. Is this normal to fit in a pair of Nexus 600's and the APX's? Does the APX have more depth than the other Vapor skates? Thanks again everybody for their input!

Just ordered the Supreme ONE 8.0 skates. I'm pretty excited to get them.

Edit:

Don't have a skate bake oven anywhere near where I live. I'm going to bake them in my own oven. Any tips from anyone that has done it themselves? I watched a few how-to videos on youtube.
Gonna bake em at 175 Fahrenheit for about 6 minutes.

Just ordered the Supreme ONE 8.0 skates. I'm pretty excited to get them.

Edit:

Don't have a skate bake oven anywhere near where I live. I'm going to bake them in my own oven. Any tips from anyone that has done it themselves? I watched a few how-to videos on youtube.
Gonna bake em at 175 Fahrenheit for about 6 minutes.

I hear that Easton skates are not that reliable in durability. They dont last long. Is there any reason why, any specific reasons? Have they ever had any reliable skates...

My second question... With all these new skates being made more and more of composite material. It worries me in their durability and protection. Yes, they are lighter and they are more comfortable. But I am worried that I will spend around $600-$800 on new skates and they wont last me as long as the ones I have had for 9 years now.

Can I expect any new skates to last me that long?
I am really interested in the Easton Mako skates and I wish to know if they are strong skates.

Easton has earned that notoriety (and rightfully so) due to their earlier Synergy and Stealth lines of skates, namely the lines anchored by the 1500, SE16 and especially the S15. While their composite construction made them unbelievably light (I believe the S15 is still among lightest at <700g in a size 8 (7.5), whereas the T1 NXG is about 658g in a size 8), it is not the composite part that is at fault.

I believe that the way Easton constructed those boot overall was poorly done. Parts that were not composite relied on glue and weak stitching to attach them to the boot and the joining of the toecap to the boot was weak, among other factors.

The S17 line was slightly better. The EQ5 and EQ50 line, in my opinion were solid offerings at each pricepoint; no complaints on durability. However, many people still saw Easton as an inferior skate brand, which continues. Hopefully the continued development of the Mako and RS lines will change that.

I can't tell you how long a skate will last you; there are so many factors involved. Though you shouldn't be worried about either durability or protection from contemporary composite boots. Overall however, durability will be seen through feedback post-release, as with any other product.

I am 205 lbs w/o equipment and 5 foot 9. I learned to skate as an adult and play once or twice a week in a beer league. I played roller hockey for 2.5 years and am in my first year of beer league hockey.

I understand that the most important thing a skate needs to do is fit.

My current skates are Vapor X skates I bought in 2004. I skated casually in them for 1.5 seasons and am playing my first season of hockey (twice a week). Checking the fit on the foot bed there is anywhere from an extra 1/2-3/4" from my longest toe.

My feet are wide and flat as a board. I bought Vapors in EE width but still had to buy them too big to get the right width. Unfortunately, the Vapors were the only ones that had a nearly zero arch.

I would like a general recommendation on:

1. What brand/model of skate is generally most comfortable for people with wide (normal shoe width: EE) flat feet?

2. How high a grade should I get? I have the option of buying up to APX but from what I read my skating level may be hindered by "too good" a skate?

I am 205 lbs w/o equipment and 5 foot 9. I learned to skate as an adult and play once or twice a week in a beer league. I played roller hockey for 2.5 years and am in my first year of beer league hockey.

I understand that the most important thing a skate needs to do is fit.

My current skates are Vapor X skates I bought in 2004. I skated casually in them for 1.5 seasons and am playing my first season of hockey (twice a week). Checking the fit on the foot bed there is anywhere from an extra 1/2-3/4" from my longest toe.

My feet are wide and flat as a board. I bought Vapors in EE width but still had to buy them too big to get the right width. Unfortunately, the Vapors were the only ones that had a nearly zero arch.

I would like a general recommendation on:

1. What brand/model of skate is generally most comfortable for people with wide (normal shoe width: EE) flat feet?

2. How high a grade should I get? I have the option of buying up to APX but from what I read my skating level may be hindered by "too good" a skate?

Thank you.

If you have wide feet, don't buy Vapors. They are most narrow fittin line from Bauer. I would recommend buying Supreme or Nexus skates. Supreme is a bit wider than Vapor, Nexus is wider than Supreme and it fits deeper.

I've skated on Easton's for years. I'm still in a pair of Z-air comps that I bought in 06. I play 1-2 times a week and get a few skates in with my son. They're still stiff and the steel seems decent, I don't sharpen my skates enough but not much of a complaint.

I'm a good skater for my age (40) I guess, and I'm about 185lbs. I'm not in the top division of the adult league anymore but I can't blame that on the skates.

I just bought a pair of Eq50 but haven't even received them yet so I can't tell you anything about them just yet. I've read they're stiff but comfortable, guess we'll see.

I like the fit of Easton skates more than the CCM skates.

I've never had my skates "profiled" either. I just want to keep skating.

i have very wide feet, even when measuring my foot at the skate shop they tell me it would barely fit in EE. length is 9.5 skate size.

my goalie skates are bearable but ive yet to find a good fit for player skates. my latest skate is 9.5 ee bauer vapor 7.0. the skating is great but after the game and pulling the skates off, my feet were in very bad pain on the sides (like i always have with skates). breaking in some more might help a bit but is there anything else i could do to potentially help with the width (side pains)? im thinking the insole would help if the esges were flat, because the stock insoles curve up which would work if my foot wasnt so wide.

so basically im wondering is it common to find a better insole to help with width problems? and also what else can i do to try and alleviate the problem? i will probably try bake them a 2nd time. anything i should know about punching/stretching? im going to call the shop about that.

also as a last ditch effort, if i cant find any skates that fit and feel right even after using them on the ice, im wondering about being custom fitted. can you do that only with certain skates or does any skate company do it? is it extremely expensive or same $??

Vapors in EE are narrower than other skates in a. Trying on a Nexus, Supreme, Reebok or CCM will show you this. You might want to have your Vapors either re-baked with you standing up to put outward pressure on the sidewalls, or get them stretched by your local pro shop to permanently widen them.

Changing insoles are not a good way to compensate for width.

Customs are only available on certain top-end skates. To my knowledge, Bauer will do NXG, Nexus 1000 and APX (you might have to wait a bit after APX2 launch for that to kick in). I know Easton will not do customs at retail and I would inquire about Reebok/CCM if it gets to it. My info isn't up to date on custom programs. The upcharge is above regular price and varies per shop, though I believe most places do regular + $100, so custom NXGs will be $850 + $100. Depending on the place, you might be fitted either by a specially trained employee or a company rep.

i have 9.5 ee supreme one100 for goalie skates and theyre pretty good but still tight especially on my bigger foot with side pain after taking them off.

i tried on 9.5 ee one.9 player skate and it felt too tight to be sure so i didnt want to buy them. i tried the apx 9.5 ee and it felt perfect.. never felt a skate that fit like that. only thing that held me off was the price tag. few days later i tried vapor 7.0 when it was on sale and it wasnt as good as the apx but it was better than the one.9 and comparable to my goalie skate. so i baked them and bought them.

ive only skated a few times in them but every time i get the same problem as always, side pain... especially after i take them off.

i couldnt find any ccm's in wide and i didnt like the reeboks nor the nexus. nexus actually seemed wide but just didnt feel good for me. the apx felt perfect. now that its on sale, i might consider them again if they give me that perfect feel, but first ill try to rebake and stretch my 7.0's.

also, what kind of difference would superfeet insoles make compared to a stock insole?

whats the general consensus on easton skates? i think the new mako skate was recently released...

Superfeet? Effects vary from person to person. It repositions your foot in the skate into a more natural position and stabilizes your heel. It might help with spot pressure along the length of the arch, but I would not count on it to help with width.

You could try the RS in EE, but the Mako seems pretty narrow to me, wouldn't hurt to try of course.

I'll say again that a re-bake with you standing up and/or a stretch is the best option.

I am extremely happy with them. Very comfy, very stiff and they look awesome (as does the whole NXG/supreme line). Also, they are extremely light. Lightest skates I have ever owned. I feel like the only weight on the whole skate itself is the steel runner.